Aston Villa v Liverpool Post-Match Thread

[not3bad]

Fucking terrible

What is?

[not3bad]

I watched injury time on the screens in the Lower Holte.  Was it my ears playing tricks on me or did Bacuna get a MOTM award?

[PeterWithesShin]

Fabian Delph and Jores Okore were the main men against Liverpool when it came to statistics.

For the second game running, Delph did well in a host of categories, including attacking passes, interceptions and fouls suffered.

Okore, too, impressed in ball recoveries and take-ons.

Delph was No.3 for passes with 58 successful from 67 attempted. Okore was No.4 with 54 successful from 60 attempted. Lucas Leiva and Steven Gerrard were No.1 and No.2 respectively.

Delph was No.1 for attacking third passes with 14 successful from 19 attempted.

Gabriel Agbonlahor, Christian Benteke, Ashley Westwood and Okore were all joint No.2 for chances created with two.

Leandro Bacuna was No.3 for take-ons, with two successful from three created. Delph and Okore were joint No.4 with two successful from two attempted.

Okore was No.1 for ball recoveries with nine.

Bacuna was No.1 for tackles with six successful from seven attempted.

Delph was No.1 for interceptions with six. Ron Vlaar was No.5 with two.

Vlaar was No.2 for blocks with one.

Okore was No.3 for clearances with eight out of eight. Delph was No.4 with five from five.

Delph was No.1 for fouls suffered with three.

Christian Benteke was No.2 for shots, with three in total and two on target. Daniel Sturridge was No.1 with one in total, one on target and one goal.

Benteke was No.2 for aerial duels with five successful from 12 attempted. Glen Johnson was No.1.

Antonio Luna to Delph was the No.1 pass combination with 20 while No.2 was Delph to Luna with 19. Okore to Vlaar was No.4 with 14 while Vlaar to Okore was No.5 with 13.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Poor first half cost us, they weren't much better and we had better chances, having said that I think we need to rest / drop Weimann at home.  Need 2 up top and a creative midfielder to lay on chances. Nothing doin with 3 in middle and 3 up top

[Phil from the upper holte]

9 home league wins in two seasons...abysmal.

We've been Shite at home for year's that includes the mon era. Think the last time we were any good at home was under dolly in his first season I could be wrong

[Witton Warrior]

Oh and happy birthday to the old boy who has been going down VP since 1922. I salute you.

He's suffered enough!
Tremendous stamina...

[Villatillidie1982]

First half was like watching last season but second half only Mignolet with two superb saves stopped Villa winning it. Strange how as he was a buffoon at Villa Park last season. Second half was impressive but first half was uncohesive and disorganised. Perhaps some of these players are still getting to know each other. Liverpool only had one shot on target and although it was a great finish by Sturridge it's now 29 games without a clean sheet and that is unacceptable.

[The Left Side]

WE played better as the game went on, still room for improvement and we will get better as the new players gel.

[mr underhill]

is it an over simplification to say that we can only play as a counter attacking side and have done for years? Until we can build a squad with the ability/flexibility to play home and away we are always going to hit a mid table ceiling. If that is too black and white apologies but even with yesterday's squad we should have been good enough for the draw.

[eastie]

We'll see come the end of the season Ozz, but my money on them is to be nowhere in the fight for top 4. Feel free to make me eat my words come the end of the season if i'm wrong!

Liverpool top 6 at best for me, nothing ive seen to suggest we can't finish top 8 - we have improved a lot defensively and need to just sort out our home form which hasn't really been what it should be for a good few years now.

[Sam Smith]

On holiday in rural Herefordshire and had the misfortune to watch the game in a strange little pub with 4 bouncers on at 5:30! The small plasma telly was surrounded by 7 'Liverpool' fans who spoke unmitigated shite throughout and had all left by 70 minutes!

This was compounded by Jamie Redknaps analysis at half time which made think I was watching the John Barnes team of the mid-late eighties such was the praise being heaped upon them .....for what possession? They only showed the goal. Why? Because they didn't have any other chances!

We may have been flat, we lacked invention and gave the ball away too often but there are huge positives to our start. Last season I used to shit myself every time teams like the three we have just played attacked. So far in a week how many chances, let alone goals have we conceded?

It appears many of our defensive frailties are behind us (Okore looks mustard!) and with the addition of a creative midfielder we could really get some results. UTV!

[ROBBO]

We were unlucky to made to play the extra game, three games in seven days will give your apponenenets a definate advantage. Couple of points, Weiman seems to be struggling to make an impact, Benteke isn't dropping as deep as last season and looks isolated at times and the first touch of some of our players is dreadful. On the positives it looks like we have at long last found a decent Left back and Okore was the stadout in defence for me.
We have more chance of the top eight than Liverpool have for the top four, i just don't know whether the midfield will be good enough without a top addition.

[Villafirst]

Why not stick with Delph, Westwood & Sylla in midfield? It worked fine at the end of last season. Big mistake playing Bacuna iin such a big game - this unbalanced the team.

[Holte132]

I watched injury time on the screens in the Lower Holte.  Was it my ears playing tricks on me or did Bacuna get a MOTM award?

Indeed he did! I couldn't believe it, but thought that maybe I had misjudged him. Thought that it was my reading of the game that was at fault! Very relieved to get on here and find that others were amazed as well. Do you think the sponsors confused the names Bacuna and Luna?

[TimTheVillain]

Still obvious that we need a strong midfielder - we really haven't replaced Petrov.

Bacuna looked out of his depth - early days granted .

Andi looking like he needs a goal to me..

We are a counter attacking team , need to find ways to change this at VP
where we ought to be playing more like the home side !

6/10 yesterday but fair play to Liverpool